


Reflections

by Seance



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Flirting, Demon Handsome Jack (Borderlands), Dragon Age Lore, Fade Demons, M/M, Mage Rhys, Magic Mirrors, Other, Possessive Behavior, Rituals, Tevinter Imperium (Dragon Age), Visions in dreams
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28023507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seance/pseuds/Seance
Summary: "Dad, the man in the mirror said I'm stupid... is that true?"𝕬𝖚 𝕯𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖌𝖊.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> I hope you like it !

**Codex entry:** The demon of the mirror.

[No information available]

...

_"It's time for you to do something."_

Rhys looks at the clouds and affirms that there will be another storm, perhaps worse than the last one. He writes on the paper in a hurry, still with fresh blood running through his fingers. A drop stains the tip of the vellum and he sighs indignantly; his magister would not forgive him. He decides to continue his reading while the ink dries. Another drop falls and stains the book. He has no right to be surprised.

However, the inkwell slides without warning and spills its entire contents over the twenty papers that were still intact and already finished. He lifts only one to check. _They're wet, you idiot._ Rhys decides not to answer. 

A wind runs through the north of Marnas Pell and hits the big tower with a lot of momentum. The sudden coolness is exhilarating to your battered body, relieving cuts on your wrist and bleeding eye. He inhales and exhales abruptly hoping to find peace even for a few minutes. Rhys walks to the big window and rests both elbows on the sill, avoiding touching around his left eye. Down there the mist rises over the unsuspecting Tevinters, and the ships run aground on the sands so that their captains can take a break from the sea of Nocen. Another tower rises majestically beside it over the skies, almost capable of touching the sun and the rest of the stars with its tip. _That is impossible._

The apprentice tries to relax by observing the small landscape of Marnas Pell, surrounded by woods and taking up space next to a great beach, but two books fall from one of the shelves. While this happens, the leaves flutter in the air with a certain grace, dripping ink under their flight, the grimoire slides over the desk and stumbles next to the chest, the staffs fall causing an annoying sound and the purple satin curtains collapse over it. He desperately moves both arms to get rid of them. Some dust drifts into his eyes and he tries to blink to relieve the itching, but in doing so he worsens the condition of his left eye. The exaggerated movement causes her to bleed a little more.

He wants to stop this. He wants peace, but even if he tries to apply even the most desperate option, he never succeeds. One of the last alternatives, the easiest, was to cry. But because his eye was so fucked up, he would cry blood and water at the same time.

_"Oh, you want peace. Why didn't you say so before?"_

A strong wind whips the room. The skirt of his tunic flutters as his research papers leave the window. In the skies of Thedas's most perfected empire, lies something he took months to prepare and write for his magister. The fruit of his effort destroyed in just seconds of his own carelessness, just seconds. The research about new types of demons that would give Tevinter a chance to conquer the heart of Thedas, destroyed by a wind. _That is sad._

_"Oh, wow, I didn't do that, I actually just moved your robe, but, uh, it was kind of dramatic and cool for the situation, wasn't it? Aww, come on, don't be bitter, 8 months is nothing... well, to me they are nothing. Time is ambiguous here, Rhysie."_

Sighing is the only thing he can do. A self-control to avoid unleashing his anger. He picks up scattered books and places them on the shelf. As he does so, the books fall again and, as he tries to pick them up, they slide to the other end of the room.

"But it's sad, I mean, kiddo.. How does it feel to waste eight months of your life for nothing?" Emphasize 'nothing'.

"Well I've had enough of you." He exclaims in exasperation. 

Rhys searches the room until he finds the center. There, standing surrounded by flowers, he finds the giver of his worst nightmares, the inevitable one that made him a martyr and the reason why he spent years in isolation; a mirror. The glass lies broken, cracked and dirty, and the iron edges remain orange because of the iron oxide. On the tip a symbol rises, the face of an unknown creature with two little scrolls at the sides. On the edges only words of an unknown language are written.

"It speaks. Now." He approaches, dragging his bare feet on the ground. The mirror reflects absolutely nothing but a clear space in the room. The colors and shapes are barely visible. "You wanted attention, acting like a whimsical little boy? Well, here it is. You have my full attention. "He stands in front of the mirror, which is about the same height as him. His angry face is blurred. "Go ahead Jack, I give you the right to express your agony, the same one that has lasted almost ten years and of which you complain all the damn time.

Suddenly, the glass in the mirror shines in shades of green. As if it were a cloud, the clarity fades and reveals a torrid place wrapped in a greenish fog. There are two large columns in the background and an empty golden throne. A phrase appears in the air. "The maker is not available, come back in five minutes"

"Kaffas, Jack. I'm not here for your stupid jokes!" Rhys replies. He crosses his arms, knowing the effect it has on the demon, and waits patiently for his companion to reappear on the scene. Two minutes go by and no one responds. "Jack, I'll break this mirror into a thousand pieces if you don't answer right now!"

_"You wouldn't dare. You are so obsessed with me that you would later find a way to bring me back; no matter how badly I provoke, no matter how perfidious my actions, you would never finish with me._

_"Or in short; you love me too much to do so."_

"I love the mystery surrounding the mirror, not you: you're just the annoying accessory I can't get rid of." He grumbles. Still, Jack doesn't dare speak through the mirror. Rhys can imagine Jack's scowl and arms crossed in his head, something of the demon. "I'll talk to you only if you show yourself in the mirror.

_"No. Apologize on your knees for calling me an accessory. Now."_

"I'm not going to..." Before continuing, Rhys reflects on what he was going to say. Although he denies it with his whole being, his existence is based on Jack's own, he cannot do more than he is ordered to do, since if he refuses, he will have to face the consequences. Jack was a rather egomaniacal demon, a single offense, however insignificant, would end in hecatomb. He sighs before obeying. "... Good."

He arranges his skirt and kneels in front of the mirror. He looks to the left, waiting for the words to come out on their own. He feels stupid that way, but he has no choice but to turn to Jack's good mood. Making him angry was equivalent to making a child angry; he would never stop crying and screaming to get them to do what they wanted to do. Or he was even worse than one.

_"Rhysssss what happened to your dignity, huh?"_ He laughs. Rhys just rolls his eyes. _"Go ahead kiddo, apologize to your big friend Jack._

"Ssss.... son of a nug."hisses. Feel Jack's voice in his head, _go ahead and say it_. "P-Pardon me."

He covers his eyes with both forearms when a flash appears in the mirror. This time, he hears his friend's raucous laughter bounce off the glass walls. By the time he stands up and shakes the dust off his skirt, Jack is already there, smiling smugly, his eyes glowing golden and his arms crossed. His posture was, for Rhys, intimidating.

"Forthe maker, you can do anything to satisfy me," he said. Good to know, don't you think?" he asked, but Rhys ignored him.He realizes, belatedly, that all his conversations are always meaningless, and this would be one of the many with that characteristic. "Don't you think, kiddo?"

"Come on Rhysie, satisfy your friend. Smile, kill yourself or something, see if I get happy. "Rhys listens. Obviously the smile thing. The Jack in the mirror flinches, holding a hand to his heart? Rhys doesn't know if a demon has a heart. "Fuck, don't smile anymore, you scared the shit out of me."

And he laughs. Again and again. Jack was not only a demon of pride, but a vacillator in every sense of the word, and perhaps of despair, because ever since they made contact years ago, all he longed to do was to despair of the wizard.

"Get to the point Jack, what do you need now?"

"Oh right, right. I want to ask you a question." Rhys scowls. He is confused.

"Are you... are you serious? I mean... are you serious-serious."

The Jack in the mirror sighs. He opens and closes his eyes with some disdain before proceeding. "Yes. Now shut up and listen carefully. You can answer honestly: Do you see me... any different? I don't know, sexier than usual?"

He is self-conscious about the question. However, he scrupulously observes the details of Jack's appearance, passing by the wavy horns above his head, the smaller ones above his eyes, and the golden spines that extend over both shoulders. Beyond that, he finds no detail that catches his attention, so he denies determinedly and listens to Jack mumble about it.

"No. You're still as ugly as before." He answers with the total sincerity that Jack asked him. "With more scars, maybe."

"Exactly! ...By that I mean the second thing, I have more scars!" He takes his hand to his naked chest. His finger bounces incessantly off where his heart would be, and, before he speaks, he looks at Rhys, "Right here, where my heart is supposed to be, there's a sword wound, a short sword. It appeared while I was fighting one of those idiot ghosts, the strange floating balls and stuff. And, after the fight, which I won by the way, I dreamt about something."

Exhausted, Rhys sat down on the floor. He rested his head on his palm and nodded uninterestedly for Jack to continue his tirade. "I know it's the fade, that you can't dream in here. But I saw something. I saw... a disgusting red-haired creature, a strange bird and a slave who overwhelmed everyone with his sense of honor as a knight of I don't know what bannorn and blah blah blah. The creature spoke, and spoke, and complained about everything I did. Wow, just like you. He wanted to say Rhys, but he got cold feet. "I think he hated me because I fucked his mother. The demon goes up and down both eyebrows, winking at the end.

Rhys squints. "I'd hate you for that too, Jack. It's disgusting."

"Yes, shut up and let me continue." The magician raises a finger and groans in pain. Distracted as he was, he had forgotten about the cuts. "By the way, his mother seemed quite young, so..."

"I don't care, it's still disgusting. So please continue."

"Okay, okay, I'll continue with this... so, something happened, there was a bright light, a fight, and this." He points to his face. A wound, like a cut, slips over his nose and goes through his eye. Rhys had never seen it before." This strange wound I received almost the same day I received the one on my chest. It hurts Rhys, I feel it burning. But there's something else... something I never felt the whole time I was in this shitty ghost kingdom... I have a wish that I hope you'll help me fulfill."

Rhys swallows hard. Something, he doesn't know what, wreaks havoc on his stomach and makes him feel uncomfortable. It was the same feeling that bothered him when he found the mirror in the tower and spoke to the demon for the first time, being that time a young apprentice with many desires and aspirations to greatness. The moment Jack made his identity known and smiled, Rhys perceived how anxiety was cradled in his chest. 

But now you know him better than anyone else. Ten years were more than enough time to assume without the risk of making a mistake. Being a Tevinter wizard he was used to the horror of dealing with them, oh, but with Jack it was very different. Jack was inexplicable in origin, ambiguous and too out of control; an enigma. He knew nothing of anything, if we speak of demons, except his 'radiating' personality, and this increased his fear of being possessed by Jack.

He lets both hands fall, and they cling to the folds of his skirt, squeezing hard and ignoring the burning between his fingers and wrists. The blood still flowed slowly, still remaining cold on his skin. He watched Jack, strutting around his throne, arguing with himself. He looks at the floating kingdoms in the background, the mist, and looks at the demon. Jack, this time, stops and turns abruptly. He knows that look. It sends shivers down his spine.

"I have... something, in my chest, that bothers me. And since I just found out that you like to satisfy me, and I'm going to exploit that quite a bit, I need..." he stops for a few seconds, contemplating his surroundings. An accusing finger points at Rhys, "I demand that you satisfy me."

"Can you... can you not say satisfy? It sounds very strange, Jack." 

"No. Shut up. Don't interrupt me." The demon walks away from the mirror. He sits on his throne, legs apart, and rests an elbow on the arm of the seat. He puts his head on his left palm and sighs. "How do you like... eh." He pauses, looking up to find a good alternative. When he finds it, he stares again at the apprentice." To please me, I need your help to fulfill my wish."

"Sounds bad coming from a demon."

"Everything sounds bad coming from a demon, pumpkin. That is the grace of the devil, everything we do and say is bad. Great though, of course." He states proudly and with his eyes closed.

_Of course._ Think Rhys. He would roll his eyes if possible, unfortunately his left eye was too red for the effect to work. "What is your wish, Jack? Do you want some pretty views of some Tevinter landscape perhaps?" The room was a mess of greys and browns. He assumed that the monotony was boring Jack, seeing the same things in the same place for years. Rhys thinks about remodeling the room... maybe curtains of a different color or a less scary, more colorful picture.

Jack clicks his tongue and squints his eyes with cheekiness. "Well, right here I have a very pretty view, baby" he raises and lowers his eyebrows. Rhys is amused by the sudden movement of Jack's horns. Thanks to that, he ignores the stormy mess on his chest.

There is a change in Jack's face, he darkens his gaze and looks longingly at his hands. He seems not to understand what he feels but makes an effort. Rhys notices it and waits for Jack to explain more clearly what he feels.

"I want revenge." He expresses in a trembling voice.

5

**Codex entry: A dream.**

Good. Three cuts on his leg. He says they are new. He didn't show them to me, but I assume it's true, I mean what's the point of lying, other than to ruin me and my research? ... I hadn't thought about that.

But I trust him. Since we've made contact, he's been very... cooperative. He has helped in the invocations, he has allowed me to explore more closely what the fade itself is, teaching me new sectors; I was unaware of a fiefdom of pleasure, where the demons of desire cohabit and allow other spirits to enter to... oh for the love of... That was a lie! I sent a letter to the archon about it, I'm an idiot!

Good. It doesn't matter. He always lies. He has been doing it for what, months? I'm used to it. Although yesterday, somehow, he was honest with me. I think. He told me about having feelings and memories, like feeling warm in parts of his body or having dreams about people he claims not to know. Past life? Who knows. Sounds like fun to discover.

I'll quote her words, although I'll leave out the insults and the verbiage, which is what mostly makes up everything Jack said; it starts with the face of an unknown woman, Orlesian features and dress too. There is a faint glow that obstructs her view. He hears laughter and cries, sword strikes and, for a moment, he sees red. Or blood, he says. Then there is a woman who shines in blue, her eyes become diffuse and stormy, the iris, the pupil, almost everything disappears. And a "thank you"? Jack says that the woman in blue thanked him for something, that he doesn't know very well what. He feels between proud and unhappy, he doesn't know how to differentiate or explain since he doesn't know the feelings. The demons don't have that.

I said it's not important. _My feelings don't matter, Rhysie?_ I said no again. He threw a book at me for that and broke a grimoire. Burned it instead. He was angry, very angry, and it showed in his expressions. I assume then that he's an rage demon, because it's not the first time he's done it. It's either that or despair. I swear he makes me more desperate every day.

In the evening he spoke to me. Or rather he threw all my books and hit me with them while I was sleeping. He is very friendly sometimes, because he used to throw swords at me. He told me that he had another super strange dream. He said he saw and heard his so-called mother, who was not as friendly as one would expect from a mother and that she abandoned him in one of the many kingdoms of Thedas. She had red hair. He says he hates women with red hair, but doesn't know if it's because of his mother or some other consequence. _Wow, that's interesting._ I said as I was returning to my dream. Then he continued talking but I didn't hear half of her speech; I needed to rest.

Today, well, I think he was offended. He hasn't shown up in the mirror, he hasn't bothered me and I must admit feels... strange. I must admit that I miss him. I don't have any friends, well, I did, but my, ahem, 'social skills' don't please anyone.

Bloody idiots, thinking they are superior because they have a remarkable magical offspring.

Jack is the closest thing I have to a 'friend'. Oh, yeah, he told me his name is that, Jack. Quite strange. He's cute. I like it better than calling me a demon.

Oh. Before I finish I'm going to write something down.

The woman in blue: ?

The woman in red: Her mother.

Perfect.

5

"V-Vengeance?" Rhys mutters. He opens his eyes to surprise.

He can't believe that Jack's first wish is... revenge. Among so many options, the first one that came up in the demon was revenge. No, it wasn't unexpected; it was Jack. But he is disappointed to expect something else.

" Yeah, revenge. I want to kill that bitch." He says. 

What terrible thing has he done to provoke so much hatred, that even in death he still longs to purify that rancor? Rhys does not understand. He has studied about demons, he has read wills dedicated to the creatures of the fade and yet his head is unable to process a reason why a demon managed to feel and possess longings. And Jack, Jack just looks at him with a scowl as if it were easy to understand, his origin and behavior. Everything about him.

Suddenly, the long-awaited rain begins. A cold wind blows from the window and Rhys slides in to close the curtains. Only the ones that still perish on the windows. Jack follows him with his eyes. 

"¿Why?" He dares to ask, unsure of hearing what Jack has to say. He presses the curtains tightly and sighs, watching through a small hole to Marnas Pell invaded by another storm. "Who is she? What did she do?"

"I don't know. I have no idea. But she, you know, has red hair. And remembering her makes me feel angry, wanting to kick something or someone." Rhys turns around. He sees Jack shrugging off his response. He's not satisfied at all."Look, Rhys. She's done something, I can feel it. She must be a crazy bitch who kidnaps children and eats them, or a slave driver for Tevinter. Heh, those are idiots." Jack pauses. "Except for my cute little pumpkin. You're not an idiot, because you're going to help me, aren't you, my great friend Rhys, the best mage in all of Thedas, my special boy?"

_Don't trust him._ Think _. He's just delirious. If I refuse to talk, he'll say something, maybe propose something crazy.And if he does that, it's pretty obvious that he's lying, or conspiring against me, or something._

It bites the lower lip with subtlety. He still lurks in the marketplace, peering into the small seas that slip through the broken streets. A young girl stumbles and falls to the ground scraping her knees, staining the ostentatious robe she wears. Rhys laughs uproariously, taking his severed hand to cover his mouth. He tastes the blood for a few minutes.

"Look, I'll tell you what," and there was what Rhys knew would happen. The proposal. Inevitable, he did the same thing when he was 18 and about to learn a specialty. Jack suggested necromancy and blood magic. It was pretty clear why. "How about the idea of getting me out of this mirror? I know how to do it."

"And leave Thedas with another demon invasion? No thanks."

Although Jack's idea makes him curious. Rhys had never thought about the possibility of having Jack in the flesh. He doesn't know that it was possible. Impossible and dangerous. Jack was just lying.

"Look at Jack i-"

The conversation is cut short when Rhys hears the door open. There on the doorstep he is watched with suspicion by his magister, who is carrying a couple of books under his arm. He looks worried and upset.

His magister looks everywhere before he speaks. "I see. Talking to yourself again, Rhys." He smiles mockingly. "Having a nice conversation with your friend Jack? Did he do all that to you?" He emphasizes the wounds and points to Rhys's left eye. The apprentice denies, though he knows it is unnecessary.

A curious detail. No one but Rhys can hear Jack. Since he found the mirror, the apprentice was the only one who had the bad luck to contact the demon in the mirror; after that he explained his misfortune to his father but they underestimated him because the rest of the magicians were impossible, none of them could verify if the mirror was of magical origin or not, or if, as Rhys said, there was a demon lodged inside. Jack also didn't help to avoid the embarrassing situation.

Rhys looks in the mirror. The image looks sharp again. He doesn't know if Jack is doing it on purpose, if his head is really playing a joke on him, or if he was really the only one listening to Jack. He walks to the door and says hello. "Magister Henderson. I was, uh, talking to myself. I..."

But Henderson silences it. "I didn't ask for explanations. What your deranged head does is your business. I need you urgently downstairs. We'll have a little meeting. It will be short. Bring your writings." Rhys clicks his tongue, remembering what happened to them." But first...you have to read this." He explains. With his free hand, he reaches into his pockets and hands Rhys a letter. "It's important."

When Rhys sees the symbol drawn on the paper, he is horrified. 


End file.
